Learning

I got so enthusiastic about Peter returning to school that I let other stuff slip. It's been great though - a boot camp for the brain. Now he's back in the groove of learning and I can reclaim my life. It was such a thrill to have access to an academic library again. That's my idea of a vacation - research, research, research. Research is such a thrill for me that eons ago when access was dialup, I once got a letter from msn saying I was in the top 10% of internet users. As St. Clair only allows its books out for 1 week, I'll probably pick whatever day is Peter's longest to work in the library. As Peter has to write about what he learns, he's watching me and saying "stop researching and start writing". So that's what I'm going to do. My friend Iris has been telling me the same thing for 15 years but I only truly listen to my kids because, let's face it, you're not starkly known until there are adults roaming the earth you raised yourself. Actually the book club selection for this month is about a daughter obsessed with what's happening in her mother's life. It's called "Midwives" and is about a midwife standing trial for doing a C-section on a woman with no pulse and respirations but there's a possibility that she might have still been alive when the knife was inserted. The midwife kept a journal and the story is written from the perspective of a young girl observing events unfolding around her while desperately hoping the jury won't convict her mother. I think my children have that same kind of loyalty and observation power.